Spider-Man 2

More of everything than in the first Spider-Man. And the bad guy is better, the technical aspect is more sophisticated and the omnipresent humour is wonderfully refreshing. Despite the small amount of action and a lot of dialogue reaching back to the past (which slows down the plot), I found the sequel more satisfying than the first one. Though the 110% happy ending is a bit of a bad move, its justified by the wave of emotion that it brings. (20.08.2004)

I was once so disappointed by Raimi's first Spider-Man that I decided to ignore the sequel. I found out today that the second part is better. Not by much, but it is. Thankfully, Sam Raimi at least got away from his specific style, which may have angered his loyal fans, but it did Spider-Man some good. Especially the action scenes are great this time, the special effects are more realistic, Dr. Octopus played by Alfredo Molina is a much better villain than Green Goblin, and the humor hasn't been forgotten... So it's not a bad film at all, although I remember almost nothing of it except after a few hours the aforementioned action scenes. It would have been even better with a different actor in the lead role or if Tobey Maguire hadn't taken off his mask at all. (11.05.2015)

Much better after a second screening. The things that bothered me before – the pathos taken to the extreme in places and the auntie's curmudgeonly proclamations – simply belong to the Spider-Man franchise, and if you accept Raimi's rules of the game, you'll be satisfied. What I admire most about Raimi's series is the perfect blend of Spider-man's human side – constant doubt, regret, unhappy love and, thanks to Tobey's looks, boyish goofiness – and the comic book superhuman side. Moreover, the unconventional beauty of Kirsten Dunst and the charisma of Tobey Maguire are always impressive. And Dr. Octopus is one hell of a villain, Alfred Molina gave him the necessary evil spark with his maniacal expression. With the passage of a few years, I have to admit that this is one of the most accomplished comic book adaptations. (15.09.2007)

The second Spider-Man is a class better than the first one. It is darker, with a stronger story, and better music that adds a massive boost to the action scenes. I mean both the rock, nu-metal, and punk (the classic American soundtrack blend) as well as the excellent orchestral score by the always great Danny Elfman (Planet of the Apes, Big Fish), whose compositions are again a pleasure to listen to. The special effects belong to the absolute top of modern cinema. There is some of the traditional pathos and tears, but that belongs to Raimi's Spider-Man, or rather, we have all gotten used to it. (29.07.2004)

In addition to the X-MEN series, I enjoyed Spider-Man 2 the most from what the film mainstream has to offer in terms of comic book remakes. Sam Raimi managed to perfectly balance humorous exaggeration, a tolerably sugary love-story and an action level with a very decent and jagged villain. The film thus offers a very nice cocktail, in which are mixed adrenaline passages (the fight on the train is magnificent), humorous moments and intimate vistas into the soul of the hero, who may not even want to be a hero. It is Peter's oscillation between an introverted student and an intrepid super-human - a constant search for himself - that forms a sympathetic second plan under a bombastic spectacle. The relationship is maintained equilibristically, and Spiderman 2 is an exceptionally balanced and bound spectacle almost to the end, which is sporadically disrupted only by Aunt May's excessive pathetic rants. Unfortunately, the word “almost" in the previous sentence is treacherous. The end of the film awkwardly and purposefully walls up everything it had carefully built brick by brick before, and the spectacle is rolled over by an interesting second plan. In the end, the hero does not have to solve the main dilemma of what to decide, because he can have both love and heroism. Oh, how I hate this hypocrisy. Even so, Raimi's spider man left me with many positive impressions. A great demonstration of the mainstream craft, which has long avoided the pitfalls of the mainstream, but a minute twelve it will get there... (30.01.2006)